EXCLUSIVE: Angel has picked up worldwide rights to the Michael Keaton-directed western we revealed this week, Rode To Ruin.
Keaton will star with Morgan Freeman in the movie, which Angel will release domestically and is now pre-selling for the TIFF market as the company launches an international sales arm.
The movie, which is due to launch in 2027, is described as “a haunting Western thriller that follows a retired U.S. Marshal whose forty-year search for his wife’s killer leads him to an aging outlaw losing his memory – and to a buried truth neither man may survive.” A start date has yet to be set.
Pic is being written by R. Dean McCreary. Producers are Lori McCreary, Michael Keaton, Kelly Mendelsohn and Gary Lucchesi. Angel picked it up from Lori McCreary’s and Morgan Freeman’s Revelations Entertainment and Keaton’s George & Leona Productions.
The project will mark an on-screen reunion for Keaton and Freeman after almost four decades; they did 1988’s Clean and Sober together. Keaton previously directed Knox Goes Away and The Merry Gentleman. Freeman’s forays into the Old West include Unforgiven, and he’s currently co-starring in the ensemble cast of Taylor Sheridan’s Lioness.
Angel already has distribution partners in multiple overseas territories for its titles but this marks its first foray into pre-sales.
Angel’s model sees ‘Angel Guild’ members watch, screen and vote on which films and series get distributed in theaters and on the Angel platform.
“Rode to Ruin is the kind of exceptional, character-driven story that the Angel Guild is looking for—an honest story told with integrity and a genuine sense of purpose,” said David Fischer, VP of Acquisitions and Business Affairs at Angel.
“Those qualities have long been the hallmark of Revelations Entertainment, and this film is a natural fit. Bringing together Michael Keaton and Morgan Freeman is a truly special combination, and Angel is thrilled to partner with Lori McCreary and the entire Revelations team to bring Rode to Ruin to audiences in theaters worldwide.”
“Angel’s mission is to spread light, and ours at Revelations has always been to reveal truth,” said producer Lori McCreary. “That shared sense of purpose made this partnership feel very natural. David, Jordan and the entire team at Angel understood immediately what our vision is for this film.”
“We’ve spent the last two years building an international distribution network that have released Angel movies theatrically in more than 95 countries, and presales are the natural next step for that business,” expanded Jared Geesey, EVP of International at Angel. “Instead of waiting for a finished film, our partners can now come in early, and that funding helps get the films our Guild wants made. We’ll open international sales for Rode to Ruin at TIFF: The Market next week, and a Western with Michael Keaton and Morgan Freeman is a strong film to start with.”
Angel’s slate includes Runner, Hershey, and Zero A.D.
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